


In another life I would make you stay

by multifandomgeek



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Lesbian AU, Mild Angst, Office AU, Smut, Smut on the third chapter, Strip Tease
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2020-08-13 04:33:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20168212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/multifandomgeek/pseuds/multifandomgeek
Summary: Brooke and Vanessa dated for a short time in college, and Brooke never forgot her first love. Years later, Vanessa is hired at Brooke's office. Would it be crazy to think it's fate?--In which Brooke is the romantic one who believes in soulmates, and Vanessa's memory might not be the best





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you Meggie for the beta and for everything else <3

Brooke was testing color combinations on this banner she was working on when her world got turned upside down. She was a graphic designer working for an advertising company, not one of the edgy new ones with swings in the lobby, but still a nice one that let you wear comfy clothes and was flexible enough with work hours.

She had been working there for three years now, and it was a nice job. Sure, there was a lot to complain about, but also a lot not to. She shared her office with Plastique, another graphic designer who was very sweet and a good friend. Their space was nicely decorated, Plastique’s side holding a surprisingly dark humor that no one could see coming from the cute and delicate girl.

They were working quietly on a Monday morning, eyes focused on their big monitors when Nina showed up and knocked uselessly on their open glass door. It didn’t make any real noise, so she just talked, trying to get the two women’s attention. Nina was the HR person for the company, and behind her was a young woman who she was introducing around to everyone.

“Hey guys,” said Nina, and Brooke blinked away from her computer to look at her friend standing by the door. “We’ve got a new PR; I’m giving her the tour.” Nina stepped aside to encourage the woman behind her to step forward. “Vanessa, this is Plastique and Brooke, they are graphic designers...”

Brooke tuned Nina out completely. She felt her insides twisting, her breath become constricted, and her vision tunnel to focus on the most beautiful woman on the entire planet. She didn’t think she would see Vanessa ever again. She hoped, sometimes fantasized, but did not really believe it. It had been almost fifteen years since she saw her last and it was unbelievable how much she had changed and stayed the same at the same time.

Her hair was straightened and in a lighter tone instead of the deeper brown waves Brooke had run her hand through once. It was also shorter, brushing her shoulders in a slightly asymmetric cut, elegant with an edge, instead of the long strands she used to tie up messily and still manage to look sexy as hell.

Her face looked leaner, but that was age, she supposed. It made her look powerful, somehow. She had dark lipstick on and Brooke felt weak sitting down on her chair and having to look up at her, even knowing how much taller she actually was. Vanessa’s smile also looked different, shinier, maybe more aligned but also colder, professional. Brooke remembered how her smile made her feel and this was not it.

Plastique said something to her and Vanessa responded politely. Brooke didn’t trust herself enough to say anything right now. Nina was looking at her with a puzzled expression that Brooke didn’t give a damn about. Why was Vanessa here? Could she dare think this was fate? Destiny? A second chance? How foolishly romantic of her. But she was here, in the flesh, after all this time and Brooke felt like she was inside a movie.

Vanessa looked right at her.

There was no sign of recognition whatsoever.

\--

Brooke would have normally finished the job she was doing in half an hour. Today, three hours later, she was still working on it, her mind insisting on drifting away to memories of years ago that only made her more nervous about her new coworker. It took her until lunchtime to build up the guts to go talk to her, knowing it would be unbearable to keep going like this for much longer.

She walked over the PR office. It was a small, simple office, the person responsible for that particular position trusted to not stay in there for too long, since their job required a lot of footwork and communication with other employees. But luckily for Brooke, Vanessa was sitting behind her laptop, working quietly, probably still getting her bearings on her first day.

Brooke took a deep breath. “Hi,” she said, knocking on the door politely, even though it was also glass.

“Oh, hello,” said Vanessa, slightly startled and still too politely.

“Hm, so, I guess you don’t remember me, huh?” said Brooke awkwardly. Vanessa brought her eyebrows together. “I’m Brooke Lynn. Brooke Lynn Hytes. We went to college together? Actually-”

“Brooke Lynn?” interrupted Vanessa, looking surprised and finally, _finally_ showing some of the Vanessa Brooke remembered so well behind it, letting the politeness fade away for a second. “Like, _Brooke Lynn_, Brooke Lynn? Shit, I’m so sorry, girl." She rounded her desk to give Brooke a hug. Fuck, she smelled good. She pulled back and held Brooke at arm's length to look at her better. "Damn, you look so different with the short hair and, hm."

"Oh, right, the lips!" said Brooke. She forgot they didn’t use to look like this, it had been a while since she had them done.

Vanessa raised her eyebrows and grinned, as if saying "when I kissed them they didn't look like this." Brooke laughed sheepishly. Vanessa let go of her arms and Brooke immediately longed to have the warmth of her touch back on her skin.

"Anyway, I just wanted to say hi, properly," said Brooke. "I was surprised to see you, but it's nice. I mean, it's nice to see you again." She was nervous. Vanessa was looking up at her with a soft smile, still too friendly, too polite. "If you need anything, you know where I am," finished Brooke, gesturing vaguely at the direction of her office and turning to leave.

"Actually, if you know any good places to grab lunch," said Vanessa. "I'm new to town and all, I don't actually know anything," she shrugged. "I was just going to google something, but maybe it'd be nice to have someone show me around."

Brooke smiled. "Yeah, sure. I was actually going to a nice little place down the street today." Lies, she brought a sandwich from home. "You want to tag along?"

"That’d be great! Give me a few minutes." There it was. That was the right smile.

\--

Brooke came out when she was in college. It wasn't a big campus, and once you found the LGBTQ+ community, you were bound to meet every LGBTQ+ person eventually. She was still a little elated with the freedom of being gay publicly and proudly when she met Vanessa at a party. If she were perfectly honest, Brooke didn't start dancing with her for any other reason than she was just incredibly pretty. They made out on a couch without even exchanging names that night.

Next time they saw each other, they actually talked. Vanessa was a couple of years younger than Brooke in age but was a junior like her. The didn't get much further than that before pressing each other against the wall. The next party was the one where Vanessa invited Brooke over. Brooke never told her she had never slept with anyone before. She didn’t stay the night.

It took another five parties for Brooke to realize she wasn't even looking at other girls anymore, she was going out exclusively to meet Vanessa. It took another three parties for her to finally ask her out properly. Vanessa was her first time, her first girlfriend, her first love, and her first heartbreak.

But Brooke wasn't Vanessa's first anything.

They dated for two months before Brooke got accepted for an exchange program in South Africa. It would last six months, and she had applied for it way before they started being anything to each other. The fight started as a conversation about trying to maintain their relationship as long-distance with the certainty of not seeing each other for six months straight. It escalated out of control.

They clearly had different ideas about relationships, different values around it and instead of trying to balance each other out, they were just trying to talk over one another to prove their view was the right one. Vanessa got too angry. Brooke got too bitter. They broke up four weeks before Brooke had to travel, without ever saying a proper goodbye.

Brooke regretted never having apologized. When she came back, her phone didn't work anymore and she lost Vanessa's number, in a time and age where the Internet was just a baby. For some reason, she didn't see her around anymore, though she didn’t dare to ask about her either. She always wondered why, coming up with a thousand different possibilities without ever knowing the truth.

She got over it, but never really forgot Vanessa. She graduated, moved around a couple of times for work, met new people. She dated again, several times, but didn't have enough serious relationships to count on one hand. Even if in the short two months they dated they never said they loved each other, Brooke knew that she never felt for anyone the way she did for Vanessa.

Vanessa was the one that got away.

Now, almost fifteen years later, here she was again, back in her life, and they were having lunch together. Brooke's heart was threatening to beat out of her chest. They walked to a nice local joint just a couple blocks away from their office. It was a really comfy place, with a lot of natural light and real live plants amongst the decoration. Brooke loved going there, especially on stressful days, and was hoping the calming environment would help her have a normal conversation with the woman she considered her soulmate for years who was now sitting in front of her against all odds.

“This is a weird coincidence, right?” said Brooke with an awkward smile as they sat down at a table. Vanessa immediately grabbed a menu and was looking through it, apparently seriously hungry. “I mean, us meeting again after all these years.”

“Yeah, is this your home town or something?” asked Vanessa, looking up just enough to not be rude. It stung that she didn’t remember where Brooke was from. It wasn’t like she was from any run of the mill town, it was another country entirely. She still remembered Vanessa was from Florida with a Puerto Rican background. Sure, the details were missing but she remembered.

Brooke was beginning to realize she was nothing but an unremarkable footnote in Vanessa’s life. “No, not really. But I moved here about four years ago, so it kind of feels like home by now.”

“This looks good; I think I’m gonna have this one,” said Vanessa, pointing at something on the menu before she looked up. “I’m sorry, I’m just starving. I was so nervous this morning I barely ate anything,” she said in a confiding tone. “I’m happy to have a friend in this place already, girl.” She smiled at Brooke and all her resentment went away.

Maybe she was just too much in her head, she didn’t know Vanessa after all, not this Vanessa. She had fifteen years of history Brooke didn’t know about, a whole lot of things can change in that time. Just being her friend was good enough. Brooke was being dramatic, getting too much in her own rom-com fantasy. Vanessa was a nice person who Brooke knew from college, she was new in town, didn’t know anyone and Brooke was going to do her best to welcome her and ease her transition. That was it.

\--

“Can you do that? I don’t want to ask if it’s going to get in the way of your work, you know?”

“Of course, it’s no trouble at all.”

Vanessa was leaning over Brooke’s shoulder to look at her monitor, showing her a PowerPoint presentation. She was asking Brooke to pump it up a little on the visual side, make it look a little more pleasant, but only if she had time. It was more of a favor than under Brooke’s obligations to do stuff like that. As if she could say no with Vanessa standing so close, smelling so good, wearing that shade of lipstick that Brooke just wanted to smear all over her face. As if Brooke would ever say so to anything she asked.

“Thank you!” said Vanessa with a Good Smile, perking up and putting a hand on her back. Brooke had been naming her smiles lately. Shut up. “I have to do it on Friday, so anytime until then is fine.”

“Yeah, I can do it in a jiff, don’t worry,” said Brooke, looking up at her. She liked looking up at her, or just looking at her in general.

“Alright! Thanks, really,” said Vanessa, walking away. Brooke wanted to pout. “Bye Plastique.”

“Bye, V,” said Plastique with a wave. As soon as Vanessa was out of earshot, she turned back to Brooke. “You know, you’re so fucking whipped it’s not even funny to tease you anymore. How rude.”

Brooke laughed sarcastically and hid behind her computer. Vanessa had been working with them for five months now, and all of Brooke’s attempts to see Vanessa in another light, any other light, have been futile. She tried being her friend, being cold to her, thinking about their breakup as being her fault, recalling their break-up fight and being angry at her again, she even spent a whole weak trying to catalog Vanessa’s flaws, just to end up balancing them with every single thing she liked about her and falling even hard by the end of it.

New Vanessa was even better than the Vanessa from her imagination. Granted, she was very different. Brooke had spent years tailoring her image to fit into a perfect girlfriend she probably never was, and in reality, she was much more than just a compilation of wishes and projections from Brooke’s desires. Vanessa was fierce, bold, wasn’t scared of speaking up and managed to do it gracefully every time. She was charming and she knew it, worked with it without taking advantage of it. She was kind without being soft, and when she was in a good mood she made sure everyone else would be too.

Brooke remembered her being explosive at times, but now, older and experienced at her job, Vanessa channeled her energy into being convincing and passionate about what she had to say. She didn't impose but at the same time, Brooke had never seen anyone saying no to her. She doubted people got mad at her very often, even if she was doing things worth being mad about. Everybody loved her and wanted her attention, which made Brooke just one in a crowd.

Plastique clicked her tongue and started rolling her chair all the way to Brooke’s side of the office. It was slow and ridiculous, her whole body moving in uncoordinated jerks to propel the chair forwards in tiny amounts. Brooke started to laugh, despite herself.

“Plastique, please stop,” she said, watching the younger girl making a fool out of herself, her tongue sticking out from the effort. “Just walk over here.”

“Then where would I sit?” said Plastique like it was the stupidest idea she ever heard. She finally made her way to Brooke, leaning on her desk with a soft expression like she wasn’t being a clown just a second ago. “Why don’t you just ask her out?”

Brooke’s smile disappeared. “She doesn’t like me like that,” she said, looking back at her monitor. Vanessa’s presentation was up. She minimized it.

“How would you know? Maybe she does. Maybe she could if you gave her the chance,” said Plastique kindly.

“It’s not that simple,” said Brooke with a sad chuckle.

“Why? She’s single, you know. And she’s not straight, Nina said-”

“I just like her too much,” interrupted Brooke, hiding her face behind her hands. “I know she’ll reject me and I don’t want to deal with that, okay? Just leave me be.”

Plastique reached to rub her back. “Why do you think that, Brooke? You’re incredible, she’d be lucky to have you.”

“She did, once,” said Brooke. She lowered her voice, mindful of people that could pass by their door. People knew she and Vanessa went to college together, but that was all. They never told anyone the full extent of it, at least Brooke didn’t. At this point, she didn’t even know if Vanessa remembered they used to date. “She was my first girlfriend... in college.” Plastique looked shocked. “Plastique, I swear, this is not gossip, you better keep your mouth shut.

“Okay, okay,” said Plastique defensively. “Not even Nina?”

Brooke considered. “Maybe Nina,” she conceded. “Anyway, she was the first girl I ever…” she gestured vaguely, and Plastique nodded in understanding. “And my first love too. We broke up over a fight, it was so childish. She’s the one that got away, you know? But when she first came here, I had to tell her who I was because she didn’t remember me.”

Understanding dawned on Plastique’s face and she hugged Brooke the best she could while they were both sitting.

“So yeah, I’ll just stay quiet and pass on the rejection,” said Brooke, blinking away the tears that were threatening to fall.

\--

Vanessa felt like a Grade A asshole.

She was standing just by the side of Brooke and Plastique’s door, leaning on the wall as she blatantly overhead the last part of their conversation. She had a piece of paper on her hand that was intended for Nina, whose office was past theirs. She was walking there when she heard Brooke saying the words “girlfriend” and “college” and before she knew it, she was eavesdropping.

She didn’t remember Brooke right away, that was true. She didn’t even really remember her when she walked into her office and told her they went to college together. Sure, she remembered her face and the fact that she actually knew her, but couldn’t quite place her until they were walking together to have lunch later that day. She had to repress a lot of facial expressions when it finally came to her.

After working with Brooke for a while, the fact that they dated for a short period back in college got overshadowed by the person Vanessa knew in the present. She just didn’t think about it anymore, she didn’t remember it very well and it wasn’t a big deal for her. She never considered that Brooke felt that fond of those memories, that she would still feel some type of way for Vanessa. She couldn’t even believe she was someone’s “one that got away”.

Vanessa went back to her office feeling a little shaken, not only by the newfound information but also by the way Brooke was talking about her; like she just liked Vanessa so much and Vanessa didn’t give a shit about her and she was resigned about it. Did she really let on that impression? Suddenly she was going through every interaction they ever had, scrutinizing her own behavior for signs of indifference towards Brooke. She had been nice to Brooke, right? She liked her. She was one of Vanessa’s favorite people to work with.

But then again, Brooke didn’t really care about workplace etiquette. That was not the kind of exchange she wanted to have with Vanessa. She wanted at least some kind of friendly intimacy, something that showed she was something more than any other coworker. Would Vanessa really say no if she asked her out? She couldn’t for the life of her remember why the broke up back then. It had something to do with Brooke going on an exchange program somewhere really far, but they broke up before that, she was sure. Did Brooke cheat on her? No, that would probably leave Vanessa too angry to forget. She didn’t know. It probably didn’t matter anymore, they both changed after that. Was Brooke a good girlfriend? Did they have fun together?

Vanessa found herself wanting to find out. Even if past-Brooke was just a smudge in her memory, present-Brooke was certainly worth the effort. She was kind, funny, without mentioning fucking gorgeous. She always worked so hard, the things she made were always beautiful. Vanessa often thought about what Brooke could do outside of the boundaries of work in terms of art.

She caught herself wondering how dedicated Brooke would be in bed and her mind supplied her with an image of a younger Brooke moaning under her, surprising Vanessa and sending a jolt of electricity through her body.

“Now that I fucking remember,” she mumbled to herself, hastly shuffling the mess of papers on her desk just to have something to do with her hands.

Her mind was made. She was doing something about it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I say it was gonna be just two parts? oopsie
> 
> Thank you Meggie for the beta and helping me sort it out <3

Vanessa was chewing on a pen and staring blankly at her computer. She had been trying to think of a way to woo Brooke for days now, to no avail. Everything she came up with sounded too cheesy or not personal enough.

She used to be quite the romantic person, back in the day. She would watch romcoms and soap operas as if they were blueprints for real life, always believing her next girlfriend would finally be The One, her princess charming that would sweep her off her feet and give her her Notebook experience, her final love story that would stretch out for the rest of her life.

But eventually, she had enough heartbreaks to understand her standards were impossible to meet. Even when she was willing to be more flexible, there's only so much you can take before your heart loses its softness and stops believing in fairytales. No one ever went the extra mile for her, so she stopped expecting someone ever would. With time, her priorities changed, her career becoming more interesting to invest in than any half-assed relationship she happened to be involved in at the moment.

But now, hearing Brooke talk about her in such a tender way, Vanessa couldn't help but fall into old habits. She was already fantasizing about the two of them, and the more she noticed how Brooke interacted with her, the more she realized how sweet she was, how caring, and wow, the way Brooke looked at her.

Vanessa used to think she was the one who had to be conquered, fought for, showed how much she was worth. But every small thing she noticed about Brooke made her surer and surer that Brooke deserved the best, and Vanessa wanted to be the one giving it to her. She wanted to be the one going the extra mile, doing some grand romantic gesture to make up for the time she didn't remember with the blonde.

"Bye, V, have a good weekend," said Ra’Jah at her door, taking Vanessa out of her reverie.

"Bye," she responded automatically, "you too, honey."

She didn't realize how late it was. Most offices around her already had their lights off, and the ones who didn't had their occupants preparing to leave. She started to set herself to go too, but the spreadsheet she was working on had only three more lines left to fill, and she decided to finish it up before she went home.

By the time Vanessa finally left her office, she thought there wasn't anybody left to say goodbye to; every light but the lobby's was turned off. But as she walked towards the elevators, she noticed there was still a lone door lit up.

"Hey," she said softly as she leaned on the doorway. "It's late."

"Oh, hi," said Brooke, blinking as she struggled to come back from the state of deep concentration Vanessa pulled her from. "I was just trying to finish this up," she frowned, looking at the time. "I guess I overestimated myself," she chuckled, surprised.

Vanessa smiled at her, feeling herself soften. "You can finish it Monday, come on." She was waiting so Brooke would leave with her as if this was their routine, but neither of them commented on it as Brooke turned her computer off and gathered her purse.

They walked so slowly to the elevator that only a fool wouldn't be able to tell they were trying to stall the moment they would have to be apart. Alas, the trip to the lobby was only so long.

But before they got inside the elevator, Vanessa had an idea. "Wanna go somewhere with me?" she asked, softly but in one breath so she wouldn't think herself out of it.

"Yes," said Brooke with no hesitation.

When the elevator came, Vanessa pressed the highest button instead of the one for the ground floor. Brooke leaned back against the metal wall and closed her eyes for a moment. Vanessa wondered if she was coaching herself out of some nervousness, even if she looked calm on the exterior. In any case, she took the opportunity to stare. She was so beautiful she could be an angel.

The doors opened and they climbed the last flight of stairs until they were on the roof. There was a garden up there, a beautiful place with real trees, benches and even a few tables. There was always someone there during the day, the employees of the several different companies on different floors of the building often taking their breaks there. But a security guard told Vanessa it was actually pretty nice at night too, even if there was rarely someone there to appreciate it.

They stepped outside and Brooke's breath hitched as she took in the fairy lights that adorned the place in warm light. They walked a few steps to the edge of the roof where they could take in the skyline of the city blending in with the night sky. It was beautiful, incredibly romantic, and Vanessa had her own breath taken away, even if she was trying to pretend this was all planned.

"I've never been up here at night," said Brooke. "It's so beautiful."

Vanessa looked up at her. She was looking back at the garden, leaning into the railing that circled the entire roof. She was so gorgeous, the light reflecting on her fair skin and short blond hair giving her an almost ethereal appearance. Vanessa took her purse and put it on a nearby bench with her own so they wouldn't be bothered by them. She offered her hand to Brooke then, and it stung to see the hesitation in her eyes and know it was her fault it was there.

They started walking and Vanessa intertwined their fingers together. "I'm sorry I don't remember much about when we dated," she said. It wasn't the most romantic of things, but it needed to be said.

"Vanessa." Brooke tried to free her hand, but Vanessa didn't let her, stopping walking and turning to face her. Brooke sighed. "It was a long time ago."

"You remember, though," said Vanessa. Brooke nodded. Vanessa took a step closer. “How was our first kiss?”

Brooke chuckled. “My memory is not that good,” she said sheepishly. “At a party, probably drunk, I don’t really remember,” she half-shrugged, her smile soft. “Look, you don’t have to-”

“So what you’re saying is,” she interrupted. Brooke still didn’t get what Vanessa was trying to say, the adorable idiot. “You wouldn’t mind it either if we had another one? A second first kiss.”

“A second first kiss?” Brooke practically whispered. She was already staring at Vanessa’s mouth, realization finally dawning on her.

Vanessa got even closer. “I think this is a much nicer place than some dirty college frat house, don’t you think?” she said, leaning up already.

Brooke didn’t say anything. She untangled her hand from Vanessa’s to reach up and frame her face delicately before leaning down, so slowly, so tentatively, as if she was still afraid to believe this was happening. Vanessa touched her waist, her eyes fluttering close a beat before their lips met.

Vanessa couldn’t think of ever having a kiss like this before. Everything was silent, the sound of their lips meeting again and again the only thing filling the night air. There was a light breeze brushing over them and Brooke was touching Vanessa like she was a precious jewel, and at the same time as if she wanted to make sure she was real. Vanessa pressed closer and one of Brooke’s hands went to her lower back, steadying her. She felt like they could be swept up and float out to the sky and she wouldn’t even notice the difference. All she wanted was to be in Brooke’s arms forever.

They broke the kiss but stayed wrapped around each other. Vanessa was kind of breathless, and nuzzled Brooke’s face gently, her eyes heavy-lidded. “I don’t think I’ll forget this one,” she murmured.

Brooke combed her fingers through her hair and it brought shivers to Vanessa’s neck and scalp. “I don’t know, I mean, maybe we should try again just in case.”

Vanessa laughed, swatting at Brooke’s chuckling chest. “I was being romantic, asshole.”

Brooke leaned down and kissed her smile.

\--

Brooke was scared. It was unreasonable and maybe even immature, but judging your feelings doesn’t help with actually not feeling them. She and Vanessa had kissed and she didn’t know what to do now. Something felt unbalanced and she couldn’t put her finger on what so she could do something and fix it. She was scared of losing Vanessa once more.

It had been almost a week since their perfect, unreal second first-kiss. They were talking softly to each other at work and going out for lunch breaks together, but apart from acting like virgins from an 1800s novel around each other, nothing actually happened. Not another kiss, or a talk, nothing.

Brooke sighed heavily, giving up on trying to focus right now. “Plastique, are you too busy?”

“Are you asking because you want my advice?” said Plastique, sounding eager.

“Hm, yes?” responded Brooke.

“Ugh, finally!” said Plastique, slouching on her chair. “I can’t with you two anymore. It’s cute and all, but it’s getting old, God!”

“Oh, come on!” said Brooke defensively. “It’s not-”

“Brooke I’m gonna save us some time, okay? I know what you need to do to get out of this particular crisis you’re going through right now, are you paying attention?”

Brooke pinched the space between her eyes, already regretting everything about this. “Yes.”

“You two have to fuck it out,” said Plastique. Brooke gave out an exasperated sound. “It’s the truth! Listen to me or not, it is what it is.”

“I’m going to talk to Nina,” said Brooke, already getting up.

\--

“You guys need to have sex,” said Nina after Brooke poured her heart out to her.

“Nina, what the fuck?”

“Okay, let me break it down for you,” said Nina kindly. “You have the Vanessa from your memories and the real Vanessa mixed up right now. You kind of have to kill memory-Vanessa, because she’s a fake, right? Otherwise you’ll enter a relationship already holding your partner to insane standards that you carefully crafted over years and years of lonely, twisted memories, and it’s bound to go south.”

Brooke felt even more scared, and Nina reached for her hand, reassuringly.

“But that’s easier said than done, I know that. It’s complicated. What you need now is real Vanessa. You need her to take over, you know? Forget about the past one. You two are dancing around each other like you’re teenagers. I mean, it’s sweet, but it’s not the best way to keep you out of your head.”

“I still don’t see how that leads into sex being the answer,” said Brooke.

Nina shrugged. “Get out of your head by being in your body. Why are you being so against it?” Nina let go of Brooke’s hand, resting her chin on her palm.

“I’m not,” said Brooke. “It’s just- She’s special, you know? I don’t want to treat her like a hookup or like any other girl and-”

“See,” said Nina, opening her arms as if she just exposed the truth. “She is just like any other girl Brooke, what are you talking about? She’s not a deity, just fuck her!”

“Hmm, hi?” said a voice by the door. The two of them turned to see a young girl sheepishly standing there. Nina still had her arms standing out and was turning beet red. “I’m looking for Miss Nina? I’m the new intern?” She couldn’t be more than 19 years old and Brooke was silently dying from laughter.

“That’s the one, sweetie,” said Brooke, getting up and gesturing for the girl to go inside, immediately letting out a burst of loud laughter as soon as she stepped on the hallway.

The first thing on her mind was that she would love to share this with Vanessa. It was a nice feeling, easy and fun. She was thinking about checking her office when she spotted the younger woman walking towards her at the other end of the hall. Brooke froze, her smile faltering. Vanessa was beautiful, looking down at some papers she had in her hands, her honey-colored hair falling around her face gracefully as she strutted in quick steps on her dark pumps that clacked so powerfully, echoing everywhere.

Brooke’s heart started to beat faster at the sound in a pavlovian response. Vanessa still hadn’t noticed her frozen in place, watching her walk. Her knee-length skirt was flowing around her legs with her steps, and Brooke caught herself thinking about how easy it would be to reach under it, run her hand on the smooth skin of Vanessa’s leg, up and up and-

“You okay, boo?” said Vanessa with a puzzled look, finally seeing Brooke standing there.

Brooke walked to her. “You walk around here all the time, right?” she asked in a low voice. Her mouth was dry, what the hell was she doing?

“Yeah,” said Vanessa, conspiratorially, like she was up for getting into trouble if that was where this was going.

Brooke leaned closer and lowered her voice. “Do you happen to know anywhere where the door is not glass?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go, lovelies, I hope it lives up to the expectations!

It had to be in Nina’s office. Her door was still glass but it was one of the very few that had blinds on, so if she was having any sensitive conversations (i.e. firing someone), the person could cry in peace. At the moment, Nina was giving the poor new intern the tour, so Brooke sneaked in, waiting for Vanessa to do so too moments after. Luckily, Nina left the key in the keyhole on the inside of her door, a habit that most people had around here.

Vanessa closed the blinds, Brooke locked the door, and in the next minute, Brooke was pressing Vanessa against the wall while sliding her tongue inside her mouth. It was very reminiscing of their college days, and her body remembered it well. Apparently, Vanessa’s did too, as she tried tugging on Brooke’s hair like she used to, uselessly gripping at the too-short strands at the back of her head. It felt good regardless.

They kissed hungrily, pressing their bodies against each other until Brooke moved to mouth and suck on Vanessa’s neck, relishing in the smell of her perfume. She untucked her blouse from her skirt to slip her hands under it and caress the bare skin on her stomach and lower back. Vanessa gasped as Brooke nibbled on the juncture of her neck and collarbone, her nails scraping Brooke’s scalp.

Brooke felt inebriated. She chased Vanessa’s mouth to kiss her again, being met with such eagerness it spurred her on even more. She reached down with both of her hands to lift Vanessa’s skirt. It had so much fabric that she had to hold it on one side to be able to reach under and touch Vanessa’s bare thigh like she wanted to. Brooke grunted into her mouth as she slid her hand up, feeling the curve where thigh meets ass, greedily palming it before reaching forward, feeling the heat in between Vanessa’s legs.

She bit Vanessa’s lower lip and fought with her skirt a bit more before she could properly cup her cotton-clad pussy. Vanessa broke their kiss to breathe heavily and melt into it for a second, eyes closed and mouth agape while Brooke stroke her once, twice, then she reached down and gripped her wrist, stopping her.

“Wait,” breathed Vanessa.

Brooke retrieved her hand, her stomach plummeting. “I’m sorry, I-”

Vanessa kissed her softly, touching her face. “It’s all good, baby, I’m into it. I just don’t want it to be like this, you know? Our second first time. Not hurried in a borrowed office waiting for Miss Nina to catch us red-handed,” she continued with an amused smile.

“Yeah.” Brooke nodded. “You deserve better,” she caressed Vanessa’s cheekbone.

“You deserve better too, boo,” she responded. “Tell you what, why don’t you come over to my place Saturday?” she pulled Brooke closer as she talked, smiling suggestively. “I can cook you dinner, we can have us a little date. Then, you know, if we feel like it…” she left it open, placing a wet kiss on Brooke’s eager lips.

“I’d like that, yeah,” said Brooke, kissing her again, softly.

\--

“You look nervous,” said Vanessa, looking at Brooke over their empty plates. Dinner had been amazing, they had talked and laughed but now a heavier mood was starting to settle, and Brooke was indeed getting nervous.

“I am,” she admitted, reaching for Vanessa’s hand on the table and fidgeting with her fingers.

Vanessa raised her eyebrows, smirking. “Who would say you were shoving your hand up my skirt just this week,” Brooke laughed, covering her eyes, embarrassed. “Oh, now you’re a blushing virgin? Who do you think you’re fooling, Mary?”

“Shut up,” said Brooke, still laughing. “I was caught in the moment.”

Vanessa had her chin resting on her hand, head tilted and smiling so pretty Brooke wanted a picture. But before she could do anything about it, the younger woman was getting up and going to the living room to fumble with a set of speakers and her phone. Soon, there was some pop song filling the apartment. Vanessa quickly skipped back to pull Brooke up. She could have just called her, but she came all the way back just to take her by the hand, a big smile on her face and rhythm on her hips.

“Dance with me,” said Vanessa, getting on her tiptoes to give Brooke a kiss.

How could Brooke ever say no to her?

She smiled widely, leading Vanessa into a twirl. They danced their way to the living room, where Vanessa jumped on the couch to show Brooke how she could do the robot (she could not). It was so stupid that Brooke just laughed and hug her thighs to spin her around, barely avoiding hitting her head on the ceiling fan.

Vanessa threw her head back with giggles, kicking and squirming until Brooke finally let her down, not without a smiley kiss. Vanessa looked up at her with a mischievous glint in her eyes, putting her tongue between her teeth before she ran to her phone to set up a new song.

When she came back, they just kept dancing, and Brooke didn’t get what Vanessa was planning until the back of her knees hit the couch and she was harshly pushed to sit down. Vanessa leaned over to kiss her while the pop song played on the background. Brooke tried to pull her on her lap but Vanessa didn’t budge. Once the song finished, Vanessa leaned up and pushed Brooke to rest back on the couch.

The new song had a dramatic change of pace, slow and sultry. Brooke thought she might have heard it before but her brain was having trouble working right now to be able to name it. Vanessa was dancing in front of her, _for_ her, all curves and hips, swaying side to side as her hands slid through her body.

She was wearing a simple pair of jeans and an elegant crimson button-down blouse. It wasn’t particularly alluring, but Brooke thought she looked absolutely beautiful from the minute she laid eyes on her. Now, as Vanessa flipped her slick hair to one side and held it there, looking at Brooke with a dirty smile as she popped open the top button of her shirt, the blonde was sure she had the sexiest woman on earth right in front of her.

Vanessa opened the second button of her blouse, offering a peek of her red, lacy bra underneath. Brooke visibly swallowed, her mind dizzy with want, waiting for that third button to go. But Vanessa let her smile widen and her hand slip down, dancing teasingly for a few more beats, only a few extra inches of skin exposed. Brooke probably saw more of her in a workplace-appropriate outfit, but this was still lighting a sizzling fire inside her.

Vanessa slowly placed a knee on each side of Brooke’s thighs. She braced her hands on Brooke’s shoulders and leaned down, Brooke immediately chasing her lips. But Vanessa only let her get a hair-length close, then pulled back, smirking. Brooke tried again with the same result, letting out a frustrated grunt. Vanessa chuckled, and Brooke leaned back, resigned. She was rewarded by Vanessa popping open all of the remaining buttons of her blouse, leaving it open as she stood back up, just in time to avoid Brooke’s greedy hands on her bare skin.

Vanessa turned around, looking over her shoulder as she let the shirt slide down her arms. She bent her elbows to tease it just a second longer before letting it go completely. Brooke had an amazing view of Vanessa’s ass clad in her jeans in that pose. It looked extra juicy without the loose blouse, and Brooke wanted to bite it.

Brooke expected Vanessa to tease her more. Instead, she didn’t turn back around, her hands going to the front of her jeans, and before Brooke was really prepared they began to slide down, slowly revealing a red lace thong over her plump, perfect ass. Vanessa made sure to remain standing straight, sliding her tight pants down the curve of her cheeks, stopping there to make them look even juicier. Only when she was sure Brooke took a good look did she bent over to push the fabric down her legs, perking her ass up all the while.

Brooke whined, her mind reduced to a thick fog of arousal. “Please let me touch you.”

Vanessa didn’t get back up all the way, twisting her torso to look at Brooke still bent over, a hand on her ass. “You want it?” she asked, kind of whiny and oh so pleased with the reaction she was getting.

Brooke nodded. “Want you so bad.” She knew she was acting submissive, but she didn’t really care. She could have the upper-hand some other time, right now Vanessa could have everything she damn wanted.

“Come and get it, babe,” said Vanessa in a breathy voice.

Brooke didn’t need to be told twice. She went from the couch directly to the floor, kneeling behind Vanessa and groping both of her buttcheeks with each of her hands, her mouth diving to her lace-clad pussy like a drowning woman, kissing and licking it over her panties as if she needed it to survive.

Vanessa moaned, reaching for Brooke’s hair when she didn’t find anything else to hold on to. Her other hand was gripping her own thigh as Brooke surged back from her pussy to place a bite right into the fleshy curve of her ass, making her yelp and chuckle. She turned around and Brooke stood up, catching her in a lustful kiss so eager it bent her back a little.

But Vanessa was right there with her, pulling the hem of Brooke’s dress up and over her head then jumping on her lap with her legs wrapped around her hips to kiss her again. Brooke held her and attempted to walk blindly while kissing, laughing once she realized she didn’t know what she was doing. Vanessa moved to suck on her neck and let her figure out the way to the bed by herself. It wasn’t that hard, it was a one-bedroom apartment.

Brooke kneeled on the bed before gently lying Vanessa down, kissing her again. Vanessa unhooked Brooke’s bra and swiftly flipped their positions, taking out her own bra and tossing it away together with Brooke’s before she started kissing down the blonde’s chest, taking a nipple in her mouth, sucking on it and swirling it around her tongue until it hardened before she moved to the other one, her fingers taking over the stimulation of the first.

Brooke panted, fingers massaging Vanessa’s scalp in a silent encouragement that was beyond any conscious effort. Vanessa’s fingers trailed down Brooke’s stomach as her mouth kept playing with her tit. She hooked her fingers on the hem of her panties, circling her hips teasingly before she started to pull them down, her tongue darting out of her mouth to flick at Brooke’s nipple. She sat up to slide the damp fabric all the way off, Brooke immediately opening her legs for her after.

Vanessa licked her lips as she took in Brooke’s pussy being offered to her like this. “Fuck, baby,” she mumbled as she touched it, caressing Brooke’s outer labia before she traced her slit and spread her wetness all around. Brooke moaned weakly, spreading her legs further, inviting Vanessa in.

She thankfully took the hint, leaning down to kiss and lick Brooke’s cunt all around, darting inside her entrance to circle it and moving up and down the whole length of her cunt a few times before she zoned in on her clit, attaching her mouth around it to work her tongue on it, sucking and flicking rhythmically.

Brooke was out of it now, moaning and grunting without even noticing, holding on to the headboard and sheets so she wouldn’t pull on Vanessa’s hair. It felt amazing, so fucking good. She tried to look down, watch Vanessa, repeat to herself again and again that this was actually happening and that she should enjoy every fucking minute of this dream come true. But her eyes kept closing on their own, no matter how much she tried to keep them open.

“Oh, Vanessa, it feels so good,” she heard herself whispering. “Oh, Vanessa, please don’t stop,” and maybe she had been repeating her name for a while, if not out loud at least in her head. After all these years trying to push it to the back of her mind and feeling guilty for letting it fall off her mouth once or twice, now that she was free to say it, she just couldn’t stop.

“I need to kiss you,” Brooke propped herself on her elbows as she was about to come. “Please let me kiss you, Vanessa,” she pleaded in a pained voice, perhaps a little too desperate. But Vanessa obliged, surging up and rubbing Brooke’s clit with her fingers as she kissed her deeply, gently coaxing her to lay back down. Brooke’s hands tangled in her hair, and she kissed back even as she moaned into her mouth, overwhelmed by the earth-shattering orgasm building up inside her.

Brooke broke the kiss and hugged Vanessa tightly as she came, face buried in the crook of her neck while her body spasmed and curled up on itself, a loud and pornographic sound leaving her mouth, right next to Vanessa’s ear, who didn’t seem to mind and kept rubbing gentle, slow circles around Brooke’s clit until she relaxed enough to ease the grip she had on her back.

Brooke laid back for a second, not able to do anything but breathe in the scent of Vanessa on top of her, her limbs all turned to mush. The brunette was gently caressing her chest and neck, planting phantom kisses on her collarbone. Brooke opened her eyes, just then noticing they were closed, and smiled. She shifted to kiss Vanessa languidly, letting a hand rest on her breast as they laid on their sides, palming it lazily.

Brooke slid her hand down Vanessa’s side, pulling her panties down the curve of her hips. Vanessa kicked them off the rest of the way herself. Brooke resisted the urge to grope her ass again in favor of grasping the back of her knee and pull her leg over her own body.

“Whatever you want,” said Brooke, caressing Vanessa’s thigh and ass repeatedly before she gave in and reached around to touch her pussy. Vanessa was looking at her with heavy-lidded eyes and surged forward to bite Brooke’s lip when her fingers met her hot slickness. This position didn’t allow for much, but the teasing caress was enough to get Vanessa worked up again after having made Brooke come.

She didn’t say anything, however, which prompted Brooke to pull back and sit up, allowing some space for Vanessa to move. “Whatever you want,” she repeated. She didn’t want to finish Vanessa off however, she wanted to make it _good._

Vanessa exhaled sharply, palming her own breasts before she shifted to be on her hands and knees, looking back at Brooke with a predatory look, running her tongue through her teeth. Brooke suddenly had a flashback of their college days, Vanessa in this exact same position on a twin bed, Brooke eating her out after having just pulled her dress up and her panties down. Fuck.

Brooke groaned, positioning herself behind Vanessa, her hands immediately grabbing at her ass. She knelt and pulled her back forcefully into her hips as if she was fucking her, a hand tracing the curve of her spine. Vanessa rolled her hips against Brooke’s pelvis, moving back and forth so slightly it was almost as if it was involuntary. Brooke reached down and cupped her pussy, providing steady pressure as Vanessa ground back with more vigor, already moaning.

“So hot,” said Brooke, stroking Vanessa’s clit and eliciting a louder moan from her. “Tell me, baby, you want my tongue too or just my fingers?”

“Both,” breathed Vanessa.

Brooke leaned down, manhandling Vanessa a little so she could position herself properly. The brunette didn’t seem to mind at all, every touch from Brooke seeming to work her up even more, no matter where. When Brooke’s tongue finally touched Vanessa’s pliant cunt, the resulting moan was so loud Brooke actually worried for her neighbors for a moment.

But in a second everything else was forgotten and the world was reduced to only Vanessa as Brooke’s tongue worked her clit while two fingers pumped inside her, her other hand firm on her thigh trying to keep her from pushing back too much. Vanessa was so wet that Brooke was practically drowning, and what a way to go. She was sure Vanessa was close, and she didn’t want to stop. Actually, she didn’t want to stop even if she wasn’t. Once again her mind was filled with her name over and over again.

_Vanessa, Vanessa, Vanessa._

“Brooke,” she heard, and it made her go even harder. Vanessa’s voice like this was the best thing Brooke had ever heard. “Oh my god, Brooke! I’m- _ah!_”

There was no holding Vanessa’s hips anymore, Brooke was just along for the ride. With just a couple more pumps and licks, Vanessa came, clenching around Brooke’s fingers and moaning her name deliciously. Brooke could feel her thighs shaking around her as she trembled with the aftershocks, and kept stimulating her delicately with her fingers while pulling her face back, wiping her chin on her hand and breathing heavily.

Vanessa eventually fell down on the mattress, a blissed expression on her face. Brooke snaked close to her, kissing her softly on the mouth. It looked like she could fall asleep at any moment, and honestly, Brooke wasn’t so far off.

“Let’s get under the covers,” said Brooke, maybe nuzzling Vanessa, maybe drifting off.

“There’s music still playing in the living room,” said Vanessa, faintly smiling, her eyes already closed. “I have to turn it off.” Brooke grunted, moving on top of Vanessa so she wouldn’t be able to move, drawing out a laugh from her. “We also left the dishes on the table.”

“Oh my god, what are we, teenagers?” complained Brooke from her place sprawled across Vanessa.

“Horny teenagers, I’d say,” Vanessa chuckled, tickling Brooke’s side so she’d move.

Brooke giggled, sitting up. Vanessa was looking up at her, so gorgeous and fucked out that Brooke already wanted to fuck her again. “Let’s do the chores naked,” she suggested, running a hand through Vanessa’s torso.

Vanessa raised her eyebrows, but didn’t disagree.

**Author's Note:**

> This got longer than expected, what do you think?


End file.
